Since The Red Moon Appeared

Although Ms. Xiaolu was mentally prepared, when she arrived at the mailbox and took out the thick envelope, her face suddenly changed. She opened it just a little and looked at it, then immediately closed it again, even letting out a low cry of surprise.

Then, she turned around and looked at Lu Xin with a wary and questioning look.

Her voice had become slightly nervous, and she lowered her voice. “You really didn’t do anything bad?”

Lu Xin could only explain helplessly, “All of these are legal income… and I have paid taxes…”

“That’s also… too much!”

Ms. Xiaolu hugged the sack and sounded worried. “Actually… It’s already very good here…

“This group of… this group of little gods and beasts can have enough food and don’t need to worry about their living. Some kind Samaritan looked for some teaching materials and… and I have been always making a trip to the administrative office. I hope to apply for a formal qualification so that all of them can get their identity and apply for a proper secondary school in the future… Everything is very smooth, so I really don’t need so much money…”

Hearing Ms. Xiaolu’s words, Lu Xin’s mood became better. He felt like he had won back something when he saw Ms. Xiaolu’s nervous expressions. He smiled and explained, “It’s good to keep more. Give them more meat. As winter comes, think about adding more clothes. In the future, we have to switch to a bigger space. Also, your legs…”

He looked at Ms. Xiaolu’s legs as he said slowly.

She was a very tall lady, but she was, unfortunately, wheelchair-bound.

At this moment, small faces appeared near the window, and everyone widened their eyes and looked at Lu Xin and Ms. Xiaolu. Some of them were covering their mouths and laughing while some were whispering. Another naughty child was clutching his hand and making a kissing action.

Lu Xin blushed uncontrollably when he saw the kids.

Ms. Xiaolu looked up suddenly and glared at them.

With a “woosh”, all the faces disappeared. They went back to their seats and continued their work.

Ms. Xiaolu seemed restless in her wheelchair. She looked around and took out some money from the paper bag sneakily, stuffing it under her clothes. Then, she passed the bag to Lu Xin and said, “Don’t leave everything here. You give me so much, my small drawer cannot fit. Moreover, what if we attract unnecessary attention?”

“Well…”

Lu Xin wanted to refuse, but he had no choice but to hold onto the bag after Ms. Xiaolu said that.

Ms. Xiaolu said seriously, “Keep that first, I will look for you when I need it!”

Lu Xin kept silent for a while before nodding lightly.

“Also…”

Ms. Xiaolu looked at Lu Xin seriously and reminded him, “I don’t know what exactly is your job, but it must be a tiring one or a dangerous one since they give you so much money. You must eat more, don’t only eat vegetables and tofu…”

“I will…”

Lu Xin took the money and smiled. “I eat chicken drumstick every day!”

“The people who can afford chicken drumstick every day will not only eat chicken drumsticks every day…”

Ms. Xiaolu exposed Lu Xin’s lies heartlessly and sighed.

Lu Xin didn’t know how to respond. Both of them stayed beside the window in front of the plants, one standing, one sitting, both silent.

Only the pale sunlight was giving the world a dull layer of light.

After a while, Lu Xin suddenly said with some hesitation, “Ms. Xiaolu, the thing that happened back then…”

“What do you want to ask?”

Ms. Xiaolu turned around and saw Lu Xin’s confused and hesitant expression.

She looked at Lu Xin seriously and smiled and then said with a low voice, “Little Lu Xin, don’t keep dwelling in the past. Sometimes, forgetting is a bliss too…”

Lu Xin kept silent for a while before saying, “Don’t always repeat the lines in old films. I have watched it too…”

“Tsk, so boring!”

Ms. Xiaolu changed the topic and said, “Come over to have some dumplings soon? I can add egg inside now!”

Lu Xin’s mood also brightened up and he nodded. “Sure!”

“What exactly happened in the Moon Orphanage back then?”

Lu Xin was still thinking about this when he left the Red Moon Elementary School.

He remembered the details of what happened in the Moon Orphanage vividly. He also remembered something that happened after the accident at the Moon Orphanage. However, the memories in between those were in a blur. He had always wanted to figure out what happened back then, so he would sometimes ask Zeng Xiaolu, but she refused to tell him. She always used lame jokes to change the topic.

He had asked his family too, but none of them were willing to talk about it.

Time passed, and he was too lazy to think about it sometimes.

Many times, he just tried his best to help Ms. Xiaolu as he thought that rebuilding the Moon Orphanage was a two-person affair.

He had the company of his family, so he wasn’t able to help out and could only make more money.

He had always felt that a life like this was very suppressive and endless. Now, he finally saw hope.

He was able to work and earn money with his own abilities, was there anything better than that?

His mood improved gradually as he thought about this.

After a few bus stops, he boarded a bus and threw in a coin.

When he was almost home, he alighted one stop early and went to the supermarket near his street.

Many individuals gathered there every night with their vegetables and meat. Many people from the satellite city tried their best to grow vegetables, and some opened a plot of land in between abandoned buildings or on the rooftop. Some even sneaked out of town and started a plot of land outside the farm of Qinggang City. Some even went hunting for wildlife to sell them in the city.

Meanwhile, the administration office of the satellite city could only turn a blind eye to this. Occasionally, they would step in.

Lu Xin bought the things he needed from the market and returned to his condo with many bags.

By then, it was completely dark and there was only a street light a far distance away. It seemed dark and lonely. When he went up the building, the stairway was silent and pitch dark. The building was already very old, and along with the Second Satellite City, there were too many buildings for the number of people. Therefore, no residents moved in, and the families who stayed here in the past had all moved out gradually.

The lift wasn’t repaired. Therefore, Lu Xin walked up the stairs to the fourth floor.

He just turned around the corner when he saw the warm light coming out from room 401, as well as his father’s angered voice.

“Naughty girl, get back here. I will chop you alive!”

His father was furious and boiling with anger. His face was contorted with anger, and he scolded loudly with bloodshot eyes in front of the door.

Meanwhile, his sister was crawling on the ceiling of the corridor as she talked back, “Not going. Come out if you can…”

“Come back, I’m going to kill you…”

“Hahahahahaha, come out and beat me if you can…”

Lu Xin’s father raged. “Roar…”

His sister didn’t admit defeat. “Hiss…”

Lu Xin sighed. He slowly walked over while feeling the warm atmosphere of home.